


Sweatshirt

by illiadeum (Zombias)



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 09:51:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12679443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zombias/pseuds/illiadeum
Summary: Shepard has 6 classes, one dorm room, not nearly enough blankets, a couple crazy professors, and even crazier friends. Oh, and what is probably the biggest crush of all time on his classmate. Woops.





	Sweatshirt

Shepard expects class to be boring, as class is always bound to be. High school, community college, and now university - it doesn’t matter how advanced the school is, class will still be boring.

Of course, what Shepard expects to happen is the exact opposite of what _does_ happen.

Don’t get him wrong, class is still boring as hell most days, but when you’ve got a tanned handsome face sitting next to you making the most subtle dry comments, it’s hard not to think class isn’t so boring after all.

Shepard meets that face for the first time on his first day of real university classes, mostly by what he attributes to accident and only partially to luck or the grace of some god only Liara would be able to name, but the whole ‘luck’ part of it is something he’ll really only admit to himself.

Accident and luck. That’s what gets one Kaidan Alenko to choose to sit next to him in lecture, of all people.

“This seat taken?” It’s the first thing he ever asks Shepard, because he’s polite and good and comes from a nice family and it’s still ten minutes before class but seats are already starting to fill.

“You can take it,” Shepard answers easily, but easily only because he wasn’t looking at Kaidan when he did. He does after answering, and then realises he’d never have been able to get a word out if he’d looked _before_ speaking. He’s handsome, all tanned skin and dark hair and ridiculous, smiling brown eyes that Shepard has to force himself to look away from each time he looks at them, now and every time after. He’s tall - probably as tall as Shepard himself, if a centimeter or two shorter - but kind of stocky in a way that means that if he worked out a little more, Jack would have fondly called him _ripped_ and _beefy_ and other shit like that, the sort of body he’ll probably grow into as he gets older. That’s one-up on Shepard at least, who Jack lovingly calls _bean pole_ pretty regularly, something he’ll probably never grow out of without a lot of effort, not like the guy next to him, who is currently extending a hand to him.

"Name’s Kaidan,” the guy says, and Shepard takes that hand in his own to shake. “Kaidan Alenko.”

“Shepard,” he gives, dropping his hand because he doesn’t want to make an idiot out of himself already by holding the man’s hand too long.

Kaidan raises an eyebrow, smiling. “That what your parents named you or what they're named too?”

“My parents were named Shepard too,” he shakes his head, smiling and hoping it’s enough that Kaidan doesn’t catch on to the were part of it. “First name’s John. Not as great as Shepard.”

“I guess I’d agree with that,” he laughs, a sound that makes Shepard’s stomach do little flips he simultaneously wants to avoid feeling and feel forever. “What’s your major?”

“Criminal justice. You?”

“Same, but with a psych minor. What year are you?”

“Junior technically, but this is my first year here,” he says with a shrug, glancing at Kaidan. “Community college.”

For some reason, he expects Kaidan to be off-put by that, maybe because it’s an admission that he’s poor and didn’t do as well in high school as he probably could have - or at least not as well as Anderson thinks he could have. But instead Kaidan nods, saying, “Smart move, community college. Serious money-saver, right? I’m a junior too, but I’ve been here forever.”

“Forever?” Shepard asks, maybe a little smartly, smirking, but Kaidan laughs.

“Sure feels like it,” Kaidan huffs at the end of the half-chuckle.

“You live on campus or you a commuter?” Shepard asks, because he doesn’t want Kaidan to feel like he’s the only one keeping this conversation alive.

"On campus - I’m actually an RA in the Wards.”

"The Wards?"

“You know, the quad that’s only got three buildings in it?” Kaidan half-answers, half-asks, making a straight-edged U-shape in the air with his index finger.

"Oh, right, yeah. 'Three buildings does not a quad make' and all that. Those are on the north side of campus, right?” Kaidan nods in response. “I’m south-end, in Noveria.”

Kaidan winces. “Right, Noveria. Huh... ah, just a warning, but buy another blanket or six. Noveria’s heating units always die in the middle of winter, usually during some snowstorm that rattles the powerlines. You’ll thank me later.”

"Great,” Shepard sighs, thinking of the thin sheet and worn comforter he has, how expensive it’ll be to buy anything else. He figured it would be expensive to live on campus, but there was no way he could commute from Anderson's house over ten hours away. He had good enough grades in community college to get tuition mostly covered with the help of Anderson's vet status and some government subsidizing, but there was still the cost of housing - not a lot, but he’s guessing Noveria’s cursed heating units was what he got for choosing the least expensive place on campus to live. Maybe he’d just wear two pairs of sweatpants to sleep every night. That’d work, right? “Thanks for the warning, at least.”

"No problem. Hey, what other professors do you have?”

"Professors?” Shep leans back in his seat, trying to recall the list of names without having to root through his backpack for his course schedule. “This class is Hackett, right? So, Sanders, Udina, Javik for poli-sci, Solus for bio, and… vas Qwib-Qwib?”

"Don’t ask vas Qwib-Qwib about his name,” Kaidan suggests, “Trust me. Udina means you’re never going to meet him, just the TA - probably Miranda Lawson. She’s actually 20, but some sort of _wunderkind_. Sanders is hard but a fair grader - Hackett’s the same. Javik is pretty good, just don’t get on his bad side, and don’t ask unnecessary questions or he’ll call you a ‘primitive’ and give you a lecture about how white people are related to neanderthals. Which is true, but it’s the way he says it, you know?” He seems to pause a half a moment, switching his thought process. “Doctor Solus is prone to rambling, but he’s a good professor - if you ever want out of class, ask him about seashells or marine ecology. If you ask questions, he’ll like you, but make sure you’re not wasting his time otherwise.”

"Wow,” Shepard replies on an exhale, a little surprised but very grateful, "Thanks.”

“Here to help.” Kaidan smiles at him, and Shepard is eternally grateful that right then is the moment Hackett walks in and settles down the lecture hall to begin class, because otherwise all Shepard would be able to do is stare at the way Kaidan’s face lights up when he smiles, how his eyes crinkle at the corners, how his lips curl up on one side more than the other.

After class is over, not much having been taught but the first syllabus of the day having been handed out, Kaidan nudges him gently with an elbow. “You have class after this?”

"Javik for CJ310, but I'm in class til 3," he answers, twirling the pencil he hasn't even used yet between his fingers and glancing at Kaidan. "You?"

"Nope. Got a break til 2." So Kaidan is left with a two hour break to do nothing, and Shepard has lecture the whole time. Huh. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to go eat," he finishes, standing up and ducking under the strap of his messenger bag to rest it on the opposite shoulder.

"If you'll wait for me," Shepard says, because he would really, really like to go eat with Kaidan.

"Not a chance," Kaidan chuckles, and then once more in response to Shepard's frown. "Hey, a guy's gotta eat, but I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," he agrees quietly, and it feels good to know that at least Kaidan does want to see him later.

Javik's class goes smoothly if a little stubbornly, and at least he isn't the first one to get called a 'primitive' like Kaidan warned. Instead, it’s some kid in the first row who says his name is Jenkins when prompted by their truly kind-hearted and not at all aggressive professor, and Shepard has to place a fist over his mouth to avoid laughing.

After that, Shepard stays under the radar as usual, managing to not draw the attention of any other classmates and professors alike, at least until 2PM rolls around and none other than Kaidan Alenko takes the seat next to him, this time without asking, like he belongs there and no longer needs to ask. Shepard doesn't mind.

"Shepard," Kaidan greets him, a little flat in tone but his mouth is still pulling up on the one side in that way Shepard is really starting to like.

"Kaidan," he mimics the tone back to him, and somehow it's a joke that Shepard didn't mean to make because Kaidan laughs, just a little. Somehow it's enough to make Shepard's heart go into overtime, despite having only met the guy for the first time at 11AM this morning.

But even hour-long lectures from the darling Kahlee Sanders must end, and soon enough it's time for Shepard to eat and go back to his dorm, Kaidan off to his last class of the day. They part ways with a wave, Kaidan not asking for his phone number and making Shepard really wish he'd asked for Kaidan's instead. But, hey, at least he'll see him Wednesday and Friday for class.  
Back in his dorm, he unpacks what few boxes of things he has left while his roommate, a bulky guy named James Vega, throws popcorn at him and they joke about nothing in particular.

Eventually, Shepard finishes unpacking - not that he had much left, and not that he had much packed in the first place - and James decides to hit the gym, asking Shepard if he wants to go with. He thinks about how he'll look next to James, a stick next to a brick shithouse, but he agrees anyway. He regrets it for the first time when James laughs at his meagre six chin-ups, and then again when he wakes up the next morning and his arms feel like they're going to fall off. Despite the potential necessity of amputation, he feels his resolve and determination kick in to keep going to the gym, with or without James, til he can do at least one more chin-up than his roommate.

Yeah, everyone has one or two farfetched dreams, so what?

Arms or no arms, Shepard still has class, even if it's only the first day and all they'll do is hand out syllabi despite the class being an hour and a half in length.

His first class of the morning allows him to discover the wonder that is Miranda Lawson, because, yet again, Kaidan was spot-on. She has a commanding presence about her that simultaneously makes his skin crawl and heat up a little, her scrutinizing gaze pinning him and every other poor sap in this lecture hall to their seats. Knowing she's a year younger than he is makes her all that much more intimidating.

Leaving her class feels strange, like you're not sure if you should wait to be dismissed even after she's declared lecture over, and he stumbles to his next class in a daze, broken only by the sight of the back of Kaidan's head.

"Kaidan!" He calls out, breaking into a half-jog he'll never admit to so he can catch up to him in the hallway. At the sound of his name, Kaidan spins around, grinning when he sees Shepard stepping up to him.

"Hey, Shepard," he greets him, and it's probably cliché but Shepard thinks his name sounds different coming out of Kaidan's mouth, like it has a different weight, like his name is a little bit something to laugh about, sort of low and huffy. He sort of likes it. "Please tell me you've got Doctor Solus' class next."

"That's three for six, Kaidan, so you’re stuck with me," he nods, smirking.

“‘Stuck’ isn’t how I’d put it,” Kaidan shrugs, making Shepard’s stomach do that little flipping motion again as they start back down the hall together for class.

Yet again, Kaidan is right on target about professors, as Doctor Solus begins lecture with a ten-minute note about the efficiency of medical technology and their potential improvements in his rather… unique manner of speaking, passing over articles and different parts of speech left and right. Shepard walks out of class next to Kaidan, feeling a little shocked but like he learned so much in lecture at once. Kaidan just laughs and laughs at him, these subtle little huffs of breath at the beginning and end and sometimes middle of each sentence, the sound always accompanied by the slight rise and fall of his shoulders. Shepard is so distracted by it that he only realises he’d failed once again to ask for his number after Kaidan has already disappeared to his next class and Shepard is already halfway across campus.

Well, shit. Better luck next time, kid, thanks for playing.

It’s the second Friday since they’ve met when Kaidan finally glances up from his note-taking - notes Shepard isn’t even bothering to take because it’s still review from previous courses, and he only has one notebook anyway, so he may as well conserve what little paper and graphite he has - and looks over to him, asking quietly, “Late lunch after this?” And of course Shepard agrees, because now he knows the class Kaidan usually has after this lecture is only Monday-Wednesday, agrees even though he knows Kaidan has probably already eaten lunch and the dining hall is closed to gear up for dinner.

Class winds down and they get up, neither saying much as Kaidan leads them out of the building and across the street until Kaidan glances at him and asks, “So where are you from? I never asked before.”

“Originally Colorado, but mostly outside Flint, Michigan,” he answers with a shrug, and because he anticipates the ever-present question of _where the hell is Flint, Michigan_ , he holds up his left hand, fingers together except for the tip of his thumb, and points to where Flint would be located if his hand was Michigan, just a little below the separation between hand and thumb, right where he happens to have a freckle. “Somewhere around there, mainland Michigan. What about you?"

“Vancouver, right on English Bay.”  
Shepard lets out a breath. “Vancouver, wow. You’re pretty far from home, huh?” Kaidan shrugs a little bit, turning a corner, Shepard following after him.

“That’s practically cross-country. How do you bring your stuff back and forth every year?”

“Store it, mostly - easier to keep it that way, no hassle of driving it all back home.”

“Huh. I hadn’t even considered that.”  
Kaidan shrugs. “I don’t really mind it. Kind of sucks having to leave my consoles and video games behind each time, though.”

“What about your roommate? Could they not take them over the break and give them back to you later?”

“Don’t have a roommate, actually.”

“What? Really?”

“Yup,” Kaidan nods, turning a corner, Shepard following after him. “Perks of being an RA, mostly. Perks of classifying for disability, partially.”

Shepard isn’t too sure what to say to that, so he very intelligently replies, “Oh.”

“Chronic migraines,” Kaidan clarifies.

“Classifies because it can take me out of class for days at a time.”

“Sorry,” Shepard breathes out. “That sucks.”

"The thing about chronic pain is that you get used to it,” Kaidan answers, stopping suddenly and turning them into a diner Shepard only noticed because Kaidan walked in the door. “Ash!” He calls out, and suddenly a head of dark hair and tan skin pops out from behind a doorway beyond the polished counter, grinning at the sight of Kaidan standing there, Shepard next to him with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie, looking probably a little awkward.

“Hey,” the girl - _Ash?_ \- calls back, then gestures vaguely, “Go ahead and take a seat, I’ll be out in a sec.”

Kaidan finally looks back at him, nodding him over to a table, and Shepard follows along like a puppy, because that’s really what he’s beginning to feel like. “I recommend getting a burger,” Kaidan suggests as they take a seat, but Shepard’s sort of busy looking around the place, set-up like a classic 50’s American diner, checkered tile and all - there are even records hung on the wall, some signed and some not, a guitar encased in glass at one end.

“Nice place,” Shepard manages to comment at last, finally looking back to Kaidan and down to the menu he’s being passed. “Do you come here a lot? She seems like she knows you pretty well.”

“Huh? Oh, that’s just--”

"Ashley Williams,” the girl from before interrupts, stepping to their table and leaning one hand against Kaidan’s side of the booth but addressing Shepard. “His co-RA, in case he forgot to introduce me.”

“Co-RA?” Shepard asks, brow furrowed.

“I work on the same floor as him,” she clarifies, nodding in Kaidan’s general direction, who is just smiling.

“I was going to introduce you, you know,” Kaidan chuckles, then nods at Shepard. “Shepard, this is Ashley. Ash, this is Shepard.”

“Right, yeah, Shepard,” she clicks her tongue, nodding and offering her hand, which he shakes quickly. “He talks about you a lot.”

“I do not,” Kaidan says, perhaps a little affronted, but Ashley only laughs before asking them for their orders. Shepard isn’t quite sure what it means, but he decides he likes it.

Worst of all, he likes Kaidan.


End file.
